


Tell My Story

by endlesstalesofwonder



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec Lightwood-centric, Blind Date, Dating, First Impressions, Flirting, Fluff, Happy Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, M/M, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood Fluff, Not Beta Read, One Shot, Questionaire, Strangers to potential lovers, YouTube, blind dating, first assumptions, flirting Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, quick fic, story of my life, strangers to friends to potential lovers, stunned alec, tell my story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-27
Updated: 2018-08-27
Packaged: 2019-07-03 12:52:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15819243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/endlesstalesofwonder/pseuds/endlesstalesofwonder
Summary: Alec signed up for this, the study, the questions, the potentially scary answers. That's what blind dates were. He didn't expect to actually enjoy the company of the man he was assigned with.





	Tell My Story

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to this short fic. I was inspired by this video on Youtube that was recommended for me, Tell My Story. I recommend going over to watch them. I thought about what would happen if the boys were thrown into this situation, thus this was born.
> 
> Enjoy.

The Psychology building’s long white walls and tall dark windows, plus the unnatural smell of antiseptics and fresh pressed carpets, gave way to the idea that they held scientific experiments and studies on a daily basis. Everyone on the campus knew when something was trying to be discovered or tested when large crowds of desperate students flooded the front doors, all of them hoping they would be part of the few who would be paid to help someone else’s education.

Alec used to be one of those people, watching from the Literature and Language department, judging everyone and anyone who would willingly participate in random acts and requests. There have been studies on behavior in relation to technology, the obedience of the mind and shocking strangers, even the infamous study of what it took to fall in love. With hindsight clear, and a completed degree in his pocket, Alec understood as he was now one of them.

It was strange being back on the same campus that he had gotten his education from, a small sliver of him hoping he would be much farther, working on new books and living life the way he always wanted. However, he had seen the advertisement for the study, recognizing the name of his alma mater, and the specification for participants that were beyond the school’s reach - perhaps due to the over-willingness of the students, and their lack of funding - and Alec couldn’t refuse. Something wrapped around his chest, pulling him back towards the school with signed papers in hand.

The room he was directed to was nothing special, neither was the hallway that he passed through. There were simple paintings, some obscure and abstract while others were pictures of small animals, all of which were meant to calm people like Alec down when volunteering for the first time, or simply because the designer of the building had a strange taste in decor.

The lady at the front desk was average in height and stature, given she was wearing four-inch heels and shoulder pads the size of Canada. She signed Alec in using a pen that was taped to a plastic flower, then gestured him through another set of doors and hallways to a man, waiting, and holding a blindfold.

“Do you have any questions before you go in?” He asked, securing the strip of cloth over Alec’s eyes.

Alec had read the thick packet they had given to everyone else who was willing to volunteer. This was a social experiment, designed to observe the classic idea of “judging a book by its cover” in combination with blind dating. There would be two people to a room, randomly assigned, of course, and there would be a series of statements to complete to match with the stranger in front of him. It was simple. Easy.

Before Alec could even think of a question, let alone say it, he was being guided through the door and pushed into an uncomfortable rigid seat. The door clicked close as a sign of the man’s departure.

 _“You may take your blindfolds off,”_ a voice announced overhead.

Alec pulled the offending fabric away from his eyes, blinking at the sudden starkness of the room.

A man was seated across from him, and Alec was suddenly thankful. It would have been quite the blip on their study radar; a gay man matched with a woman.

_“You may begin.”_

The statements that they were required to fill out were placed under their seats, clamped tight against a plastic clipboard. The first page was labeled: _Level One, The Basics._ Scanning over the page, there wasn’t anything strange or difficult about the blank statements before him, holding true to them being at a basic enough level to make the first assumptions.

Alec read the statements first, sparing a glance upwards at the man he was paired with. The first thing he noted wasn’t the way he styled his hair into an upright position or colored the front strands red or the fitted clothes that hugged his body, but it was the maroon-painted tips of his nails, the ring fingers studded with black jewels, that caught his attention.

Somehow they never made complete eye contact while filling out the first page, the sounds of their scribbling filling the air until the room went quiet and they both looked up.

“You should -“ they both started, then stopped at the same time, chuckling. Alec held out a hand, saying _please._

“Your name is Matt or Matthew, and this is your story,” the man started. His voice, now clear and confident, rattled Alec to his bones, pulling him closer to listen to every word, even if his assumptions of him may be completely wrong. “You are thirty years old. For work, you are a personal trainer. Your ethnic-slash-cultural background is German or Irish.”

Alec pressed his lips together. It was his build and controlled demeanor that often lead people astray, and saved him from many awkward conversations about personal health and maintenance methods. “My name is Alexander,” the man let out a hiss of breath, “But most people call me Alec.”

“I like that,” the man commented, then froze, as though he hadn’t meant to say that aloud.

Alec smirked. “Thanks. It was a birthday present.”

The man smothered a laugh. His brown eyes glimmered with the unspoken laughter.

“I am twenty-eight years old, turning twenty-nine in a month.” The man hummed in approval. “For work, I am actually a journalist-slash-photographer. I specialize in nature and wildlife.”

Photography was no doubt one of the few things that Alec loved most about his adult life, aside from his passion for writing. It had been a small hobby throughout his youth, blossoming into his career when he won his hometown’s art contest. His dream, which still keeps him working harder and harder, was to become a photographer for National Geographic. Traveling the world and photography, it was a match made in heaven.

“Favorite animal to photograph?”

Alec opened and closed his mouth. “That’s not a question in here.”

The man smirked, eyes shimmering with something other than laughter. “Humor me.”

“Cows,” he said, without hesitation. “They’re like… big field dogs.”

The man pressed his lips together, but it did nothing to conceal the pulling smile on the corner of his lips. Alec continued, “My background is actually Caucasian, but there may be some Latin roots somewhere. We’re not sure.”

Alec straightened, holding his clipboard in hand like a lifeline. He shouldn’t be nervous. The whole point of this study was to explore first impressions and, to calm down, told himself that he was bound to get something wrong at least once throughout their afternoon together.

The man straightened as well, and Alec could see him pulling a veil-like mask over his features to school any reactions from his answers. Alec supposed that it would be best for the both of them if he answered this in a rapid fire. “Your name is Xavier, or something simple like Harry, and this is your story.”

The man rose an eyebrow. “You are,” Alec paused, “Twenty-nine years old. For work, you are a tattoo artist. And your ethnic-slash-cultural background is Asian.”

Xavier, or Harry, or whatever his name might be, loosened the hold over his features, blooming into a full smile that made Alec drown in his own uncontrolled heat. “My name is Magnus. I am thirty-four years young.”

Alec was nowhere near his name, nor age. “Nicely put.”

“For work,” he continued, “I am a social worker.”

He would never have guessed that based off his looks, but somehow it fit, a piece of the puzzle that was utterly Magnus. He couldn’t help but wonder how he got into that field of work.

Magnus clicked his pen open and shut, the only sign of nervousness since the start of his answers. “My ethnic background is Indonesian.”

“Were you born here?”

Magnus clicked his tongue. “I’m sorry,” he drawled, lacking any real sympathy, “That’s not in the packet.”

“Magnus.” Alec glared at the man.

Magnus held his eyes, captivated and alluring. Finally, he sighed, resigning his feigned carelessness. “Yes, I was born here. New York, actually.”

“Me too. Where in -”

 _“Please continue to page two of the handout,”_ the voice from above instructed and chastised the pair.

In any other instance, Alec would have cowered, curling in his shoulders, wishing he would disappear, but with Magnus, it was like he didn’t need to hide. He pressed his lips together, concealing the laugh bubbling up in his chest, looking at Magnus, who was doing the same.

“We shouldn’t make Big Brother mad,” Magnus muttered, more-so to Alec than the cameras silently watching and recording.

Both men turned back down to the clipboard, trying, and failing, to focus on the statements before them, which were labeled: _Level Two, First Date Questions._

“Would you like to go first,” Magnus asked when he finished, hugging the clipboard to his chest to keep his answers from Alec’s wandering eyes.

“Magnus,” Alec started. Magnus nodded, gesturing for him to continue. “Your guilty musical pleasure is Classic Rock.”

Alec could picture Magnus in dark hip hugging clothes with black lining the tops and bottoms of his eyes to bring out the violently warm brown color. Leather seemed to be something he might also wear.

“Your favorite book is The Great Gatsby, and your celebrity crush is Julie Andrews.”

Magnus sputtered. “My celebrity crush is not Julie Andrews - she’s a queen, yes, but I’m stuck between Natalie Portman and Matt Bomer. Figuratively. Hopefully, one day, literally.”

Burning blush shocked Alec’s cheeks. “You went out of order,” he noted weakly.

Magnus held up a finger to silence him. “Julie Andrews always comes first, darling. Now, my guilty musical pleasure is Oldies. I even have some on records. And my favorite book is Siddhartha by -”

“Hermann Hesse,” Alec finished.

Magnus’ eyes lit up with surprise. “You’ve read it?”

Alec shrugged. “I was a Lit major,” he said in lieu of an explanation. He had read the book in his senior year of high school, and then again to delve further into its themes and symbols for one of his classes. It sat beside his bed along with the other books that he always kept within arms reach.

“Alexander,” the use of his full name sent shivers down his spine, eliciting warm licks of heat in his chest, “Your guilty musical pleasure is Classical, specifically violin.” Alec wasn’t guilty about his love for classical music. Pop music was the one thing he played through his headphones rather than his car radio. “Your favorite book is Sherlock Holmes.” He liked it, not loved it. “And your celebrity crush,” he paused, “Is definitely Ryan Reynolds.”

“I love Ryan Reynolds,” Alec confirmed, earning a faint hum from Magnus, before adding, “but he is not my celebrity crush.”

“Now who’s going out of order?” Magnus mocked, a playful look on his face.

“Currently, my celebrity crush is Paul Rudd.”

“Ant-Man?” Magnus gaped.

Alec shook his head. His celebrity crush changed with whatever he was watching. Ant-Man and the Wasp happened to be the most recent thing he paid to see, thanks to family movie night. “My favorite book,” he corrected, “is The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.”

“Of course it is,” Magnus huffed, turning the page on his clipboard to the third section, labeled: _Level Three, Heavyweight._

Alec leaned forward. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Magnus snapped up, hiding his clipboard and the answers printed. “Nice try. Answer your own statements.”

 

These questions were meant to dig deep, open wounds, make conversations about things that normally would not be discussed on the first date. Of the statements that they were given, they could have been worse, and Alec was thankful for what they had chosen for them.

“Are you ready?” Alec asked, pushing the pen into the space between the clip and the board.

Magnus nodded. “The three things you fear most are snakes, heights, and weird people.” Alec scoffed. “You do want to get married in the future. You want one kid. And your greatest fear about married life is being lied to.”

The fears were wrong, as Alec corrected him, and there were only two that he was aware of. His aversion to spiders, them being the absolute worst, in Alec’s opinion, started when he was seven and a nest had burst under his bed and threatened to eat him alive. It had taken years for Alec to say the word let alone look at the bug at a safe distance. With time and the reassurance of buying insect repellent in bulk, Alec was able to face that fear. He still couldn’t be in the same room as one, but blissful ignorance was key to their relationship.

“What’s the second?” Magnus asked, to clarify. “You said there were two you knew of.”

A part, a very large part, of Alec hoped Magnus wouldn’t push, or might have forgotten, about his second phobia, but with the glimmering light in his eyes and the way he was leaning forward, Alec couldn’t resist any longer. It was stupid, as the spiders had been, and he couldn’t pinpoint when his phobia of umbrellas had started. He blamed his overactive youthful imagination, which did nothing to ease Magnus’ smothered laughter.

“It’s not you, I swear,” he tried to explain. The heat of Alec’s cheeks increased, as it had nothing to do with bashfulness or Magnus’ innuendos. “This is not the first time I’ve heard this, is all. I have a friend who’s also…” Afraid of umbrellas, they left unspoken.

Alec quickly moved on with the rest of the statements, trying to get the attention off of Alec and onto something other than confessing his irrational fears in front of a stranger.

He did want to get married. It was always something that he wanted in life, even before he realized he was gay - it had taken a very tense relationship with a woman to realize that. He also wanted two kids, rather than the one. He was drawn to having pairs - buddies - to help each other whenever they needed it. Magnus smiled at that particular detail.

“My greatest fear about married life is being trapped,” Alec gulped, “Or not true to myself.”

“I’m sorry,” Magnus said, resting a hand on Alec’s knee, the warmth seeping into his welcome skin. His eyes were kind and open for him, telling him: _I know. I understand._ Alec rested his hands on top, relishing in the way their skins contrasted yet complimented each other.

“It’s okay.” Alec pulled his hand away, reluctant. He started, “Magnus…”

“Yes, dear.”

Alec’s face brightened again. “The three things you fear most are planes, clowns, and spiders. You do want to get married and have two kids. Your greatest fear about married life is losing the spark.”

Magnus hummed, thinking to himself, thinking about Alec’s answers. He poised a ringed hand to his chin, keeping himself level with Alec’s gaze. “I am afraid of heights, but not just standing there. I’m afraid of falling from a height - if that makes sense.”

“It does,” Alec encouraged. “Anything else?”

It took a moment, Alec could see the hesitation in his eyes, mudding the ponds of his irises. “Water,” he added, quietly.

Alec reached out to him, as he had done, and rubbed his thumb in soft circles over the surface of his hand. “I think…” he drawled, waiting until Magnus’ eyes were on him to say, with all seriousness, “I think I am afraid of weird people.”

Magnus cracked a smile, broad and shy and bright. “I don’t know if I want to get married,” he said, moving on. “I’ve never actually thought about it before.”

“Hopefully that’ll change,” Alec muttered. Magnus’ eyes on him told him he heard.

“I want a lot of kids.”

Alec rolled his eyes. “It says to put a tangible number, Magnus.”

“I’d be content with two. Maybe.” Alec scoffed. Magnus’ finger circled with his, as though gearing himself up to answer the last statement. They sat like that for several deep breaths, before, “My greatest fear about married life is being lied to.”

The way that the words left Magnus’ lips made Alec’s stomach punch inwards. That was not a fear that he was afraid of having one day, but one that he had already experienced. Alec gave him a small smile, a tug of the corner of his lips, and returned to the space of his own chair.

They both looked at each other before turning to the last page, which simply said in fine print: _I (Would / Would Not) date you._

Magnus held his board upright, hiding which choice he was leaning towards, but he did it in one quick flick of the wrist. No hesitation.

Alec looked down at the words, finding the letters swimming before him until it turned into a picture, an idea so clear, that he circled his answer with one quick flick as well. No hesitation. No regrets, he told himself.

The look in Magnus’ eyes told him what his paper said, and, of all the answers Alec had given, this was the one that felt right the most.

“Reveal on three,” Alec proposed.

Magnus’ eyes glimmered. “One,” he said.

“Two.”

“Three,” they both said, and flipped their boards around.

 _I would date you,_ stared back on both papers, and both men grinned at the outcome.

“Finally got one right,” Magnus chimed, laying the board down against his thighs.

“What?” Alec scoffed. “I got at least one right.” Maybe.

“Why?” Magnus asked, and he knew it wasn’t about whether he knew what was right or not about his assumptions.

“It’s the way you hold and present yourself,” Alec stated, earnest. “Your smile is gorgeous - You’re gorgeous, but you definitely know that.” Magnus practically purred at the compliment. “There are also many more questions that I would like to ask you.”

Magnus grinned, splitting his whole face into perfect halves that battled the brightness of the sun. “We’ll see if you’re lucky.”

“Why me?” Alec countered. “Why date me?”

“Did I say date?” Magnus asked, a coy look of confusion furling his brow. He looked at the page again. “I think I made a mistake.”

Alec gaped. “You heathen.”

Magnus smiled bright. “You’re an interesting man, Alexander. I would like to get to know you outside of these walls when there isn’t a camera pointed at us.”

“Oh?” Alec’s cheeks burned again. His imagination ran wild with the possibilities of what they could spend their time together doing. Simple things like dates, sure, but Alec wanted to learn what made Magnus laugh, cringe, tick, and more importantly, make obscene noises beyond the realm of coherent language. “Not a fan of witnesses?”

“Perhaps they should have added a question about kinks, because you are giving me some serious -”

 _“Thank you for coming today,”_ a new voice came over the speaker, _“Please leave through the door, and Julie will take your clipboards.”_

Magnus rose an eyebrow. Alec pressed his lips together. For a study based on blind-date relationships, they were restrictive on what questions were actually asked and lead towards in the chance of a tangent discussion, which included anything involving sex or kinks related.

“Shall we,” Alec asked, hand extended.

Magnus’ warm one met his, tangling his cold ringed ones with his. “We shall.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> I have officially started my school year and the timeliness of posts may be impacted due to many project-based classes. I'll do the best I can, but enjoy the fics I do have.
> 
> For more drabbles and gifs of Alec's non-straight standing habits, check out my tumblr: endlesstalesofwonder.


End file.
